While welcoming the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority’s (DVLA) decision to suspend the rollout of a new vehicle number plate system, the Member of Parliament for Abuakwa South, Dr. Kingsley Agyemang, has warned that part of the directive issued alongside the suspension could expose the public to legal and safety risks.
The suspension, announced ahead of the system’s planned January 1, 2026 implementation, followed intense scrutiny in Parliament and a High Court injunction granted on December 23, 2025. In a statement released on Monday, December 29, Dr. Agyemang said the pause was necessary, citing unresolved concerns over institutional preparedness, limited stakeholder engagement, and the absence of amendments to the Road Traffic Regulations, 2012 (L.I. 2180).
However, the MP’s support for the suspension was tempered by strong criticism of the DVLA’s decision to allow vehicles operating with Drive from Port (DP) and Defective Vehicle (DV) number plates to remain on public roads “until further notice.”
Dr. Agyemang argued that the directive sits uneasily with the Motor Vehicles (Third Party Insurance) Act, 1958 (Act 42), which requires every vehicle on a public highway to be backed by valid third-party insurance.
He explained that DP and DV plates are designed to be temporary, issued under strict conditions pending inspection and full registration. Insurance cover attached to such plates, he noted, is similarly limited in duration and scope. Extending their use beyond their intended purpose, he warned, weakens the foundation of Ghana’s compulsory motor insurance framework.
According to the MP, the protections offered under sections 10 and 11 of Act 42—which compel insurers to satisfy judgments awarded to third-party victims—are only effective where valid insurance exists at the time of an accident.
“Allowing vehicles to operate without valid and effective third-party insurance places innocent road users at risk of uncompensated loss and unnecessary litigation,” he cautioned.
Dr. Agyemang further stressed that administrative directives cannot override statutory law, referencing sections 16 and 17 of Act 42, which criminalise the use of uninsured vehicles on public roads.
He therefore called on the Minister for Transport to intervene urgently by regularising the status of DP and DV plates strictly in line with existing law, issuing clear policy guidance to the DVLA, and ensuring that no vehicle operates without valid insurance cover.
The MP also appealed to the National Insurance Commission (NIC) to intensify enforcement, insisting that compulsory motor insurance exists primarily to protect the public, not to accommodate administrative delays. “The law is clear,” he concluded. “Compliance is not optional.”
